Wrench



May 4 1926.

J. R. LONG WRENCH Filed Oct. 4, v1924 Patented May 4, l1926.

1,583,078 PATENT OFFICE, 1

JOHN R. LONG, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR yTOANGELUS SFECIAL'JIYv COMPANY, 0F

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.y f

WRENCH.

Application mea october 4, 1924. lserial No. 741,573.

To all 'whom t may concern: j

Be it known that I, JoHN R. LONG, a citi= zen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Vrench, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an imp-rovement in wrenches, and my main object is to provide a simple construction of wrench adapted to be readily opened and closed and easily manipulated when held in one hand and in which the gripping jaws extend toward the -handle to permit the workto be gripped in a firm and stable manner. The ypresent wrench is an improvement in that particular type of wrench patented by me and as represented in my Letters Patent of the United States No. 818,180, dated April 17, 1906, in which a separate yoke having a jaw is slidably mounted upon a separate handle in wedging relation to a second movablejaw. In the present device both jaws are movable and differently disposed and related to a handle having a fixed yo-ke so that certain former undesirable features which have militated against the general use of my other' wrenches are entirely eliminated and overcome, all as hereinafter shown and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1V is a side elevation of my improved wrench as it appears in use when held in one hand. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the integral yoke end of the handle, with the jaws closed. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the wrench on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The present wrench comp-rises a handle member 2 having an integral yoke 3 extending transversely at one end thereof. This v yoke embodies flat side walls 4-4 which are integrally united with o-ne end of handle 2, and this end of the handle is also formed with a flat wedging face 5 extending at an acute inclination lengthwise of the handle. The outer cross walll 6 of the yoke is also slightly inclined in respect to the handle so that the opening 7 which extends through the handle and its integral yoke, flares outwardly and the smaller or converging part of the opening extends toward the base of the handle and at one side thereof to permit the shank yends of two movable j aw members 8 and 9, respectively,

toprotrude throughthe same where one of these members may be engaged and operated bythe thumb in holding the wrench in one hand. j

Thus, the outer jaw 8 has a gradually thickened or widened shank 10 protruding through the lower and smaller end of yoke opening @whereas-the inner jaw 9 tapers vto a blunt point where it extends through the opening opposite shank 10.y The'two jaws have parallel contacting faces, which in a nut-engaging wrench are at right angles to the gripping faces of the jaws, but in -a pipe wrench the gripping surface may be serrated and formed otherwise to grip around part in the way customarily practiced. The beveled face 11 of linner'jaw'9 matches and engages the wedging face 5 of lhandle 2, whereas the diverging flat edge 12 of shank 10 of outer jaw 8 matches and engages the inclined wall 6 of the integral yoke of han# dle 2. Consequently the two jaws may be opened and closed in varying degree and wedged tightly together within the yoke. The gripping jaws also extend toward and across the outer end of the handle so that the pressure is directly in line with the handle and the turning movement is radially in line with the bolt or nut if such parts are undergoing an operation. In other words, the open jaws are not oEset in respect to the I handle, which offset makes it diicult in some instances to grip a nut or part squarely. The wrench may also be held in a balanced position in one hand by extending the jaws across the end of the handle, and the shank ends of the two jaws are advantageously placed in a movable position in vdirect line with the thumb when the handle isv tightly gripped in the hand. The jaws may be thrust upward within the yoke and opened by means of the thumb because the yoke is a fixed or integral part of the handle which is held stationary in the hand, and by retiring the thumb the weight of the two movable jaw members permits the jaws t-o close upon the nut 1W or other piece to be gripped. A pin 14 in the tapered extremity of jaw 9 prevents the twojaw-members becoming completely separated `from each other and from the handle, but any other mode of holding the parts together as formerly practiced by me may be usedV instead. By removing pin 14 the two jaw members may be removed from the yoke, and if ydesired the two jaws could be placed within the yoke with member 8 in contact with inclined face 5 and member 9 seated against wall 6. Member 8 in that case would extend obliquely across the other end of the handle and the open working position of the two jaws would be inclined in respect to the handle and r-eversed compared with the showing in Fig. l.

The protruding end of shank 10 may be engaged by the thumb to draw or pull this member downwardly or rearwardly, and the outer edge of the shank may be concaved or serrated as shown at 15 to promote gripping of this part and a positive control.

What I claim, is:

l. A wrench, comprising a handle having yan integral yoke at one. end formed with a flaring opening extending obliquely toward the outer end of the handle, and a. pair of movable jaws having wedge-shaped shanks extending vthrough said opening and projecting over the back of said handle the end of one shank being exposed to permit the thumb to engage yand shift the same.

'2. A wrench, comprising a handle having` a wedge-shaped yoke fixed to the outer end thereof and 'extending laterally therefrom, and a. pair of wedge-shaped ljaw members movable lengthwise of said yoke, each jaw member having a gripping jaw extending transversely across Athe outer end of said 4handle and adapted to grip the work in a direct line with the handle, one of said jaw members having a shank extending through the yoke and parallel with the handle where it may be engaged by the thumb while gripping the handle.

3. A wrench, comprising a handle having a beveled end and an integral yoke opposite thereto, an inner movable jaw member of wedge-shape seated within said yoke against said beveled end, and an outer movable jaw having a gradually widened shank extending through said yoke in 'sliding engagement with said wedge-shaped inner jaw member, they shank ends of said jaws being projected through the lyoke -at one side edge of the handle to permit the thumb to engage said movable parts when the handle is held in the hand. Y

4. A wrench, comprising ahandle-having an yintegral yoke at one end thereof, and a pair of movable jaws having wedge-shaped Shanks slidably confined within said yoke, the enlarged end of one of said shanks being arranged to protrude through ther rear vend of said yoke parallel with the handle where it may be engaged by the thumb and having a serrated thumb grip at its exposed portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN n jLoNe. 

